Games for Windows Beefing Up Anti-Piracy Measures

[MarioJP]

well i am not sure if you are aware but seems like this new trend is kicking up

http://www.onlive.com

something to really look at. Its getting alot of hits and this might be the future for gaming

 

[falchard]

I believe it would be a mistake to explicitly sell games on onlive. Although it would definetly eliminate PC piracy, the service itself has a few drawbacks that I doubt people will want to deal with. However, onlive would definetly reduce piracy from those who use the service because their PC wouldn't be able to handle a real game.

I also think that this will only do a little to deter piracy. I think it will have some impact on multiplayer games in which players have to login to a service, but for offline games getting around that activation isn't really a problem. I do cheer the fact that its a non-DRM solution because I do hate DRMs and don't buy games with it attached unless its Steam.

 

[wolfseeker2828]

I personally hate the fact that companies are deliberately destroying the used PC game market. Why is it that I can buy used games for consoles, but when I try to do it on PC, there's suddenly a keycode, an online authentication, various updates, etc. etc.?

 

[cruiseoveride]

we already hacked this shit

 

[g0rilla]

Onlive = bad idea
Steam = good

With the way I play games, I don't imagine myself thinking 20 years down the road, "Dang, I wish I could play Commander Keen right now!" Something bigger and better will come along and I will have no desire to replay a game that old.

 

[xsamitt]

It seems like a good thing.
Again much better than DRM and limited installs.

 

[seboj]

[citation][nom]cruiseoveride[/nom]we already hacked this shit[/citation]

See? Told ya. LOL.

 

[mindless728]

this doesn't seem like a bad idea, though, i do have a friend who is a gamer and doesn't have internet, he has to come to my house to download anything

as a programmer, i would not be happy if i made something (or even assisted in making) a program/game to e sold only to have it stolen, then again, i only write open source program right now

 

[pirateboy]

They just want to destroy the resale of games so gamers can't play old games and are forced to buy the shitty new games which are almost all the same nowadays: fps shooters with shitty gameplay.
These greedy bastards know they can't stop piracy so they target the easy prey: legitimate customers and retro gamers.
EPIC FAIL

 

[kingnoobe]

Just another thing to get cracked. They need to just get over it. Multiplayer games are were its at for the pc. That's just the way it is, and those can't just be downloaded and played online at least without going through a bunch of bs, and then you just end up playing on pirated servers.

As far as consoles more and more of those are also getting pirated, so while it may not be as bad now *i have no idea of actual numbers* it will be in a few years.

Bottomline no matter what scare tatics they use people are gonna keep doing it. Specially since they know or should. As long as they game companys are making money their gonna keep producing games. And even with all the piracy they still make money on good games.

 

[Blessedman]

There is no lock that can be unlocked. The only way to stop piracy is with games like WoW, not to say there aren't pirates that play, they just play on private servers. They also don't care if you pirate the client software. That is the future of gaming on the PC...

 

[crisisavatar]

[citation][nom]cjl[/nom]Of course you realize that if everyone did this, there would be no games for PCs, right?[/citation]
i dont support pirating content in any way couse the work developers put into games should be rewarded but when you pay 60 bucks for 6 hours of gameplay there is a problem. the solution i offer is to drop game prices ( consoles included ) to 20-30 bucks and have accessibility for all.

 

[darkguset]

I have bought original titles that i still play some times many years later. Now it means that i will pay 100 bucks, play a game online (risking viruses, trojans, etc) and being forced to have an internet connections wether i like it or not, then play it for a few months and thats it! If the company closes down, or my internet connections stops, or whatever, i can't replay that game again. Great anti-piracy! I do not think it is the guy that downloads his games through Bit Torrent at fault (maybe a little ), it is the companies that pushed him there! MS and other DRM affiliate companies you are not EARNING money this way, you are LOSING customers + MONEY! Sad, but true.
In the same bag are companies who produce crap or unfinished games and then expect the gamers to pay full price for their inadequate work.

 

[wikiwikiwhat]

Piracy - hopefully the thing that kills EA for good. That and SCEA and Ubisoft for ruining Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six.

 

[crymsonpheonix]

This is probably gong to be a pain for those of us using wine.

 

[killmess]

[citation][nom]HotRoderX[/nom]has anyone thought of the long term? Steam will not always be around nether will these servers to authenticate things as much as we love to believe things will always be around its not true people will still have the rights to the games but what happens if your beloved game isn't usable because someone decided to stop support for it?[/citation]

Second that! :O

 

[nemo888]

It looks like just another way to punish customers. While Pirates will be one step ahead and be offering the same title but better because all the DRM crap is removed. Which copy would you rather have? I'd rather have the uninfected one.

 

[Efrayim]

This isent a terrible idea. I just hope it works. I use Steam for everything I can get my hands on most of the time.

 

[unforgiven--]

I think it is an excellent idea. I believe they should have a hard stamped code into each disc( GUID ) that online gamers would have to agree to the same set of terms and agreements before they can even install it. it would help out by reducing piracy by having the legit numbers in a database and the ones cracked cannot update from a master list of servers, do updates and if you get Game tracker and punkbuster involved it will help out the gaming community as a whole. There are servers and players out there that do not honor their own server agreement for most forms and playuers who use hacks and cracks. in all the latter part is the most damaging. the gaming community needs a standardization, not sophisticated DRM that you have problems with at times. So I am for anything that levels the playing field for fairness that the seervers and players must obey or be permanantly banned.

 

[tikal]

I agree with one of the comments. Games are becoming lame and unfinished and mostly unplayable! Today its only 3D graphics and nobody gives a shit abotu story, playability and so on.
Thats why I dotn intendt to buy games, I simply dont get any value for the money! Make games like Fallout I or Fallout II or Baldurs gate or system schock 2 and I will buy and play soem of them.

If you make crapy games, then its no wonder you dont sell any!

And game developers always claim soem incredible numbers about how many copies they got ripped off... Even for every copy that was pirated, I doubt that more then 10% wudl be bought if game coudl not be downloaded.
So easy to claim billions lost to piracy, untill they are jsut some makebelif imaginary billions. Like stock market, when trillions of imaginary dollares are wiped out... I suppose that money was just never there to begin with.

Maybe they shoudl drop the price? Half of the worlds population is working for whole month and gets paid less then one of this lousy titles costs.
I don see any progress in that regard.

Distibuters manage to cut of the middle man. You can download the game from their server. Is it any cheaper? Hell no! They just pocket the differance. Maybe more peopel woudl buy if they coudl simply afford it.

And look at the consoles, theyn get much more revenue... do they make great games, like they used to? Not really. Most games are borin as hell, made so that you dotn really have to put any effort into the game. Mostly you just hack and slash, hack and slash... boring.

Maybe one part of the problem are laso stupid people, wanting simple and boring games.

 

[jawshoeaw]

Quality of games is already affected by piracy. The newer games are coming with Hollywood blockbuster budgets and require a lot of sales just to break even. Gamers demand more realism, better story with voice overs by actors (some gamers apparently), better AI. All failure points - games will always be buggy. But piracy hurts profits and you know the fat cats at the top aren't going to cut their own salaries.

Another thought - imagine if MS Word had to be recreated every month with a new and cool feature set, totally reinvent the wheel and depend on a new hardware spec. Bug city.

 

[duzcizgi]

Games without DRM stuff like SecuRom etc. work much more stable.
And this approach is much fairer than others. Unlimited installs activation opportunity puts it ahead of what Steam offers right at the moment.
I don't think about being able to play a game 20 years later; as most probably the OS & HW will be totally incompatible already to play those games. - Anyone able to play the 15 yr old X-Wing on their XP or Vista systems? I still have the discs (floppy) somewhere in my drawers.

 

[Guest]

I don't like the idea of applications calling home... How many exceptions can I add to my firewall settings until it becomes totally useless?
Just because it is a software it doesn't mean It's not as strange as a toaster sending SMS to verify it is not a cheap imitation made in China.
Also, using steam I'm missing the good old CD/DVD that was my proof of having bought the software and having the right to use it.

 

[kelbo]

I don't know you guys, but not everywhere I go I have internet connection.
so what would it be? unusable unless I am able to connect to internet?
remember, in some places outside of US (caribbean, where I am), internet connections are still very expensive.

As some folks have said, hackers will find a way around, so this will only make it more difficult to the "original" user... still sounds like DRM to me.

 

[Gamma-Senin]

Piracy will never just because there are many countries where pc games aren't sold at all or have been banned.